This one must have hurt, really. I mean: a guy spends over three and a half decades in Congress. He’s carefully establish himself as a convenient… receptacle… for almost-respectable defense lobbyist payoffs. And he’s just gotten the brass ring: next in line to his party’s top slot at Appropriations. And in the last Congress? That spot was the Holy Grail for people who wanted to | Read More »

This one must have hurt, really. I mean: a guy spends over three and a half decades in Congress. He’s carefully establish himself as a convenient… receptacle… for almost-respectable defense lobbyist payoffs. And he’s just gotten the brass ring: next in line to his party’s top slot at Appropriations. And in the last Congress? That spot was the Holy Grail for people who wanted to | Read More »

The woman* in question was at Norm Dicks‘ (D, WA-06, D+5) town hall, and dared the Congressman to take her money. As in, she brandished a twenty dollar bill and told Dicks to come and get it, if he wanted her money so badly. (See also Hot Air and Ace of Spades HQ.) Which Dicks of course did not, being a Democratic career politician whose | Read More »

Norm Dicks, come on down! Last year, Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) secured five defense earmarks for private companies in his hometown of Bremerton, Wash., worth a total of $10 million. Four of the companies shared something in common — they were all represented by the PMA Group, the now- defunct lobbying firm that has spurred an investigation of earmarks by the House ethics committee. PMA | Read More »